Mocka Lounge, Mill Lane, Cardiff

Cardiff's Mill Lane rarely appeals to me as a destination: to my mind it's a staging point, somewhere loud groups go to get loudly loaded on bright pink cocktail confections before going on somewhere else to finish off the evening. It's pretty much the antithesis of the quiet pint and even better conversation which are key elements of my default Grumpy Old Git Mode. 

It's not somewhere I'd usually head for food, although there were good things at Pitch Bar and Eatery when I visited, shortly after they opened- chiefly the chips, which were exemplary. But that would be the exception- wouldn't it? So when Mocka Lounge invited me to try their new menu, my curiosity was piqued. 

Nibbles of some good fat olives and tortilla chips tide us over while we relax with a couple of gin cocktails- their Cucumber Collins with Hendricks gin- are an ideal way to settle down with the menu. They're keen on cucumber here- it perfumes a carafe of water decorated with little flowers (pansies, according to my friend, and I shall bow to his knowledge).

The size of our bruschetta is a surprise. So often, you end up with a slice of baguette; here it's a panino-style ciabatta, rich with olive oil but handled lightly to form a crisp base for a hearty serving of toppings.

Bang bang chicken is mildly spiced- a bit more chilli oomph wouldn't go amiss, though  the lunch time crowd might not appreciate that. There's a slice of retro fun with a classic prawn cocktail topping, Marie Rose sauce and all, to remind you how good it can be with fat shellfish.

The spinach needed just a touch more seasoning but the kitchen clearly hadn't skimped on the butter- I'm unsure of the exact standardised measure, but it was somewhere between a lashing and an oodle. A poached egg was all wobble, which is A Good Thing.

3 for £10, or 5 for £15 is strong value for the city centre and makes for a good lunch time option.

An impressively stacked and presented beef sandwich, with a good  bite to the salt beef, with crushed tomatoes and dripping an imaginative addition. It's a hearty amount for your £6.50.

'Chips like gran's' will have to do as shorthand for one of the highlights: these are a deep gold, crisp at edges and corners, floury in the centre: in a word, excellent. I've written before about the transportative abilities of food (in fact, my favourite thing I've ever written on this site) and these do the same thing: I could almost see her hands peeling and cutting potatoes in that narrow kitchenette in the shadow of mountains. Uncanny, in the best possible way.

Due to an admin cock up- a juvenile schoolboy error- I was driving, but m'colleague's Junebug, a tropical pineapple lime concoction, was well received. Twice.

A warm chocolate brownie with a warm white chocolate sauce feels suitably indulgent. 

Lemon tart easily lives up to both parts of its name: a little sweetness comes with a strawberry coulis to temper that big hit of citrus.

A close relative of The Meating Place, The Potted Pig and Porro,  the menu at Mocka Lounge was a pleasant surprise. There's plenty of choice here and the menu comfortably solves that brunch-lunch debate; besides, there are fully-fledged restaurants which can't nail chips like they can here. An hour watching the world go by with this food and drink would be time well spent.

Disclosure: I was invited to dine at Mocka Lounge; this does not oblige me to write a positive review.

Mocka Lounge
1-2 Mill Lane, 
Cardiff 
CF10 1FL

http://www.mockalounge.co.uk/index.html

Monday: 11am - 2.30am
Tuesday: 11am - 2.30am
Wednesday: 11am - 2.30am
Thursday: 11am - 2.30am
Friday: 11am - 3.30am
Saturday: 11am - 3.30am
Sunday: 11am - 3am